On March 2, 2015, Don Nielsen was in Pittsburg, PA for work and suffered a massive stroke. The right side of his body was paralyzed and he lost the ability to speak. He was hospitalized in critical care for 1 week followed by 5 weeks of intensive inpatient neurological rehabilitation consisting of occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. His wife Jo was able to stay there with him the whole time and his 2 daughters, Erin and Maren, traveled back and forth many times to be there as a constant support network. Don progressed enough to be able to endure the transport back to Michigan to continue outpatient rehab at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids. He is now walking on his own with a cane and ankle brace but still has not regained the use of his right arm. He also has profound speech deficits and is unable to communicate much verbally. He has a long recovery road ahead with many months of therapy. He could make gains in function for up to 5 years. The costs for the amount of rehabilitation Don needs are tremendous and not sustainable for long term. Due to loss of income and caretaker assistance, Don and Jo had to move in with their daughters and are in the process of listing their home.

Don is a family man and he loves his wife, daughters, and granddaughters more than anything. They are behind "team papa" 100% but could really use your help covering therapy costs once they have maxed out the current program in place. They are also looking into additional therapy not covered by insurance such as a language camp at University of Michigan. They want to be able to provide him with as many rehabilitation opportunities as possible and he is up for the challenge.

Don is highly motivated and making amazing progress, but this stuff takes time...and lots of money! Any help for the Nielsen family as they recover from this tragedy and adjust to the life changes they are facing now and in the future is greatly appreciated.